Summary ⁷

Triplofusus giganteus, previously known as Pleuroploca gigantea, common name the Florida horse conch, is a species of extremely large predatory subtropical and tropical sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Fasciolariidae, the spindle snails, tulip snails and their allies.

Geographic range ⁸

These are marine animals and are found from North Carolina to Florida and into Mexico.

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native )

Physical description ⁹

The Florida horse conch is the largest snail to be found in the American waters, sometimes reaching a length of two feet. It has ten whorls, and its shoulders bear large, low nodules. The operculum is a leathery brown color, the aperture is orange, and the animal itself is brick red in color.

Reproduction ¹⁰

Reproduction is sexual. The female attaches capsule-like structures to rock or old shell. Each capsule contains several dozen eggs for the young snails to feed upon. The capsule contains 5-6 circular rims, and they are laid in clumps. The young emerge and are an orange color, approximately 3.5 inches in diameter.

Link to Access Genomic Data ¹¹

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/nuccore/?term=txid1838260[Organism:noexp]

Sources and Credits

1. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos64/129568.jpg
2. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos49/99477.jpg
3. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos26/53821.jpg
4. (c) Femorale, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://www.femorale.com/shellphotos/photos20/41588.jpg
5. (c) Jose Nunez, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by Jose Nunez
6. Heather Dine, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), https://www.biolib.cz/IMG/GAL/26443.jpg
7. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triplofusus_giganteus
8. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18667679
9. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18667681
10. Adapted by Emily Rose Sharkey from a work by (c) The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/18667682
11. (c) Emily Rose Sharkey, all rights reserved

More Info

• iNat taxon page
• Animal Diversity Web
• Biodiversity Heritage Library
• BOLD Systems BIN search
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
• NatureServe Explorer 2.0
• SeaLifeBase
• World Register of Marine Species

Range Map

(c) Discover Life and original sources, some rights reserved (CC-BY-NC-SA)

iNat Map